This is a blog about epilepsy. I have lived with seizures for 25 years now and I want to share my experiences to allow others with epilepsy a chance to compare their experiences to mine and to allow those without epilepsy to understand further the condition and how it effects one. I had the VNS device implanted 4 years ago and have posted on that extensively. Please feel free to comment and I will try to respond.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Survivors Guide to VNS: Part 5 – Pre-Surgery Shopping

Before you have your surgery, there are a number of items you should purchase to make your post-surgery life a bit easier.

Pain medicationsHave your doctor give you prescriptions for your pain meds. Pick them up the day before surgery so that you wont have to go out to get them or pick them up on the way back home from surgery.

PhenegranGeneral anesthesia tends to make people nauseous. It definitely did me. From first hand experience, throwing up everything in your system is not fun after just having surgery. Get the phenegran before you have surgery.

LozengesIf you have a breathing tube in your throat while under general anethesia, your throat is going to hurt. Go ahead and get your throat lozenges. Any menthol based lozenge will help, but my favorite is Ricola!

PillowsFor a few weeks, you are going to be sleeping in strange positions in order to avoid pressing on your fresh wounds. Many people on the VNS Message Board recommend those beanie pillows. I ended up just mixing and matching pillows from around the house. In any case, make sure you have a bunch, and of different sizes.

Sick FoodGet a bunch of that food you eat when you have a cold. Crackers, chicken noodle soup, Sprite, yada yada… You really won’t feel like steak and potatoes for a few days.

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What is Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurring seizures, which are disturbances in the electrical activity in the brain. Seizure types range from a momentary disruption of senses to a loss of consciousness and violent movements that can last for minutes. There is no single cause for epilepsy; however epilepsy can sometimes be associated with an illness, head injury, or abnormal brain development. It is estimated that 1-2% of the population has epilepsy, and of those, approximately two-thirds respond well to medical treatment.